Monitor Refresh Rate Test — Free Screen Hz Checker Online
Want to know your screen's real refresh rate? Hit Start, wait a few seconds, and get your display's exact Hz reading — no app, no install, nothing to download. The UFO comparison rows show 30Hz, 60Hz, 120Hz, 144Hz, and 240Hz side by side so you can see the smoothness difference with your own eyes.
Test 1
Choose UFO Style
🖥️
Check Your Monitor's Refresh Rate
Press Start Test — no clicking needed, just wait
⏱️
Sampling Frames…
Keep this tab focused for accurate results
Wait... Checking
Sampling display frames…
0 frames ·0.0s left
0
Hz detected
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Avg Hz
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Frame Interval
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Peak Hz
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Total Frames
—
Stability
Hz Per Second — Frame Rate Breakdown
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Time Left
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Detected Hz
0
Frames
—
Peak Hz
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Best Hz
🏆 Personal Best
🥇
—No record yet
📊 Session Stats
Last Hz—
Best Hz—
Worst Hz—
Avg Hz—
Max Frames—
Tests Run0
🕐 Recent History
No tests completed yet.
🛸 Multiple Framerates — UFO Motion Comparison
Each row moves at the same pixel speed. Higher Hz = smoother motion — visually confirm your display's capability.
Screen Hz Tiers — How Fast Is Your Monitor?
<30 Hz
🐢 Very Low
30 Hz
📺 Low
60 Hz
✅ Standard
75 Hz
🚀 Above Average
120 Hz
⚡ Smooth
144 Hz
🎯 Gaming
165 Hz
💫 High-End
240+ Hz
🌟 Esports
🖥️
What Does Refresh Rate Actually Mean?
Your monitor's refresh rate is the number of times the screen redraws the image every single second. It is measured in Hz (hertz). A 60Hz screen redraws 60 times per second. A 144Hz screen redraws 144 times per second. The higher the number, the smoother everything looks — from moving your mouse to watching a ball fly across the screen in a game. This free tool measures that number directly in your browser using animation frame timing.
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How This Hz Checker Works
Every time your display completes one refresh cycle, the browser fires a short callback called requestAnimationFrame. This tool records the exact time of each callback using performance.now(), counts how many happen during your chosen window, and divides by the elapsed seconds to get your Hz. The result reflects what your screen is actually receiving right now — accounting for your cable, GPU, OS settings, and browser all at once.
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How to Read the UFO Motion Test
After your Hz is detected, five UFOs appear — each moving at the same speed but only updating at a fixed rate: 30, 60, 120, 144, or 240Hz. On a 60Hz screen, the 120Hz, 144Hz, and 240Hz rows look the same as the 60Hz row because your panel cannot display those extra frames. On a 144Hz screen, the rows below 144Hz look choppier by comparison. Watch which rows look buttery smooth and which stutter — that shows your true screen speed.
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60Hz, 144Hz, or 240Hz — Which Do You Need?
For everyday use and casual gaming, 60Hz is more than fine. The upgrade from 60Hz to 144Hz is where most people notice the biggest difference — motion feels cleaner and the mouse cursor glides instead of juddering. At 144Hz, each frame stays on screen for only 6.9ms compared to 16.7ms at 60Hz. The step up to 240Hz is mainly useful for fast competitive games where tracking moving targets matters. Above 240Hz, most players cannot tell a visible difference in normal use.
⚡
Refresh Rate and How Responsive Your Screen Feels
A higher refresh rate does not just make things look smoother — it also reduces how long a frame sits on your screen before the next one arrives. At 60Hz, a frame can wait up to 16.7ms. At 144Hz that drops to 6.9ms. At 240Hz it falls to 4.2ms. This is why competitive players say high-Hz monitors feel faster and more responsive, even if the actual network or input latency has not changed. Paired with a fast panel response time, a high-Hz monitor gives you the lowest possible display-side lag.
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Why Your Result Might Show Lower Than Expected
The most common reason is a wrong OS setting. Windows and macOS both let you cap the refresh rate independently of your monitor's hardware maximum — check Display Settings on Windows or Displays in macOS System Settings. HDMI 1.4 cables limit you to 60Hz at 1080p, and 4K needs DisplayPort 1.4 or HDMI 2.1 for 144Hz. Running the browser on battery with power-saving enabled can also reduce Hz dynamically. Turn off battery saver, plug in, enable hardware acceleration in Chrome or Edge, and keep the tab in focus for the most accurate reading.
Screen Hz Test — Common Questions Answered
The easiest way is to use this free online Hz checker. Click Start Test, wait three seconds, and you get your screen's actual running Hz — not just what the monitor is rated for, but what it is genuinely delivering right now through your cable, GPU, and OS settings. You can also check in Windows by going to Display Settings → Advanced Display Settings, where you will see the current refresh rate listed next to your monitor's name.
A 60Hz screen updates 60 times per second and holds each frame for about 16.7 milliseconds. A 144Hz screen updates 144 times per second and holds each frame for about 6.9 milliseconds. In practice, 144Hz motion looks noticeably smoother — scrolling, dragging windows, and fast gameplay all feel cleaner. The UFO comparison on this page lets you see that difference directly on your own screen.
This almost always comes down to one of three things. First, check your OS: on Windows, go to Display Settings → Advanced Display Settings and look at the Refresh Rate dropdown — it may be set to 60Hz even though the monitor supports 144Hz. Second, check your cable: an HDMI 1.4 cable physically cannot carry more than 60Hz at 1080p, so swap it for a DisplayPort cable or HDMI 2.0 or higher. Third, make sure hardware acceleration is turned on in your browser for this test to read correctly.
Yes. Most modern smartphones use 90Hz, 120Hz, or 144Hz screens, and this tool detects them correctly in mobile browsers. One thing to watch for on Android: many phones lower their refresh rate automatically to save battery. To get the true reading, make sure your phone is plugged in, set to performance mode, and actively displaying something — then run the test. On iPhone, all models from iPhone 13 Pro and later use 120Hz ProMotion displays.
It genuinely helps in fast-paced games. A higher refresh rate means each frame reaches your eyes sooner, so when you move your aim, you see the result faster. In a first-person shooter at 144Hz, the gap between what happens in the game and what you see on screen is about 10ms smaller than at 60Hz. That is meaningful in close-range fights. For slower games or casual play, the difference is less important, but the extra smoothness is still pleasant to use.
Three seconds is the default and gives a solid reading for most displays. At 144Hz, three seconds captures 432 frames — more than enough to average out any minor timing variation. If you are on a very high Hz monitor (360Hz or above) and want extra confidence, use the 5-second option. The 1-second test is quick but sensitive to a single dropped frame, which can pull the result down. Always keep the browser tab in the foreground and avoid background downloads while the test runs.
No. VSync controls how your GPU paces its frame output relative to the display cycle, but the browser's animation frame callback fires at the monitor's own refresh rate regardless. Whether VSync is on or off in your games or GPU settings, this test will report the same Hz because it measures the screen's refresh cycle directly — not your GPU's rendering speed.
Avg Hz is the total frames counted divided by the exact test duration — the most reliable figure. Peak Hz is the highest instant speed recorded from a single frame gap; it shows your display's ceiling. Frame Interval is 1000 divided by Avg Hz, giving milliseconds between frames. Stability measures how consistent the frame timing was throughout the test — a high percentage means steady, even delivery; a low percentage means the frame gaps were uneven, which can cause visible micro-stutter even if the average Hz looks correct.
⚙️ Settings
Sampling Window
Default Sample Duration
How many seconds the tool counts frames when the page first loads
Auto-Reset After Result
Return to idle automatically 5 seconds after the test finishes
Repeat Mode
Automatically start the next test after the reset delay — loops until you stop it
Result Display
Show Results Stats Bar
Avg Hz, Frame Interval, Peak Hz, Total Frames, and Stability % below the zone
Show Per-Second Hz Graph
Animated bar chart showing frame rate per second of the test
Highlight Hz Tier on Result
Light up the matching band in the score grid when the test ends
Show Personal Best Delta
Show how far your result is above or below your all-time best Hz
Test Zone
Dot Grid Background
Faint dot pattern inside the test zone while the test runs
Glow Ring Animation
Pulsing border glow while detecting and on the result screen
Result Number Size
How big the detected Hz number appears inside the test zone
Below-Card Panels
Show Live Stats Panel
Real-time counters below the card during and after detection
Show Hz Tier Grid
Coloured tier reference cards below the test area
Show Side Column
Personal best, session stats, and history panel on the right
Zone Colour
Test Zone Background
Colour theme for the dark test area
Accent Colour
Accent Colour
Buttons, active states, and highlights across the page
Page Background
Page Background Tone
Overall background warmth for the full page
Typography
Heading Font
Font used for the Hz number, titles, and badge labels
UFO Visibility
Show UFO Comparison After Test
Reveal the multi-framerate rows automatically when detection finishes
Label Detected Hz in Legend
Mark the closest matching row with a "your display" arrow in the legend
Pause UFO After 15 Seconds
Stop the looping animation after 15 seconds to save GPU resources
UFO Motion
Travel Speed
Pixels per second — faster makes smoothness differences easier to see
Row Height
Taller rows give more room to judge motion quality on large screens
Alternating Row Stripe
Faint shading on every other row to help separate them visually
UFO Rows Shown
Show 30 Hz Row
Include the choppy 30Hz reference row in the comparison
Show 120 Hz Row
Include the 120Hz row between 60Hz and 144Hz
Show 240 Hz Row
Include the 240Hz row — only visibly smoother on 240Hz+ screens
Chart Appearance
Graph Height
Taller chart makes second-by-second differences easier to read
Bar Style
Visual fill style for each per-second bar
Bar Gap Size
Space between bars — wider gaps make individual seconds easier to compare
Chart Data
Show Average Reference Line
Dashed white line at the average Hz level across all bars
Show Hz Value Labels
Print the Hz number above each bar after the animation finishes
Show Second Labels
Print the second number (1s, 2s…) below each bar
Animation
Bar Grow Speed
How fast the bars animate upward when the graph appears
Stagger Bar Animations
Each bar grows slightly after the previous one — cascade effect
Completion Sounds
Play Sound on Test Complete
A short audio cue plays when detection finishes and the result appears
Completion Sound Type
Which sound plays when the test finishes
Sound Volume
How loud the completion sound plays
Personal Best & Start
Extra Sound on New PB
A distinct second sound plays when you beat your all-time best Hz
Sound on Test Start
A soft click sound when you press Start Test
Preview Sound
Play the currently selected completion sound right now
Live Counters
Show Live Frame Counter
Climbing frame count inside the checking zone during detection
Show Live Hz Estimate
Running Hz average in the live panel while the test is still going
Countdown Precision
How many decimal places to show on the time-remaining counter
Timer Bar
Timer Bar Position
Where the depleting progress bar sits on the test zone
Timer Bar Style
Visual appearance of the depleting progress bar
Timer Bar Thickness
Height of the progress bar in pixels
Checking Screen
Checking Animation Style
Which animation shows in the test zone while the Hz is being sampled
History List
History List Length
Maximum results shown in the side panel
Show Tier Badge in History
Coloured tier label next to each past result
Show Sample Duration
Show which window (1s, 3s, etc.) was used for each past test
Show Timestamp
Show the time of day each test was run
Saving
Auto-Save to History
Log each result automatically — turn off to run tests without recording them
Max Stored Results
Total entries kept in localStorage before old ones are dropped
Session Stats
Show Session Stats Card
Last Hz, Best, Worst, Avg, Max Frames, Tests Run panel in the side column
Reset Session on Page Load
Clear the session stats counter each time you reload the page
Reading & Vision
High Contrast Mode
Increase border and text contrast across the whole page
Large Text Mode
Make labels, stats, and descriptions bigger for easier reading
Show Focus Outline
Visible focus ring around buttons and controls for keyboard navigation
Motion & Animation
Reduce Motion
Disable UFO animation and all zone glow pulses
Disable Bar Grow Animation
Graph bars appear instantly instead of growing upward
Pause UFO After 15 Seconds
Stop UFO animation automatically to avoid persistent motion on screen
Sampling Accuracy
Warmup Frames
Discard this many frames at the start — removes the initial ramp-up spike
Dropped Frame Threshold
A frame is flagged as dropped when its interval exceeds this multiple of the expected interval
Hz Calculation Method
How the final Hz is derived from the raw frame data
Debug & Diagnostics
Log Raw Frame Data to Console
Each frame timestamp and delta printed to the browser DevTools console during the test
Show Dropped Frame Count
Add a Dropped counter to the stats bar showing how many frames exceeded the threshold
Show Jitter Value
Display the standard deviation of frame intervals in the stats bar — lower is steadier
Precision Mode
Force rAF to wait for the exact frame boundary before each timestamp — more accurate on variable-rate displays
Records
Clear Personal Best
Delete your highest recorded Hz from this device
Clear Test History
Remove all saved test results from this browser
Export
Export as CSV
Download history as a spreadsheet for Excel or Google Sheets
Export as JSON
Download the raw history data for backup or custom analysis
Import
Import JSON Backup
Restore a previously exported JSON history file to this browser
Reset
Reset Everything
Wipe all settings, records, and history and reload the page fresh
❓ Help
🖥️ What This Tool Does
This is a free online screen Hz checker. It tells you the real refresh rate your monitor is delivering right now — not just what the box says. It works directly in your browser by counting how many animation frames arrive per second, so you get an honest reading that accounts for your cable, GPU, OS settings, and browser all at once.
📐 How the Hz Is Measured
The browser has a built-in callback called requestAnimationFrame that fires once for every display refresh cycle. This tool records the precise timestamp of each callback using performance.now(), counts the total frames over your chosen window, then divides by the elapsed time to get Hz. The longer the window, the more stable and reliable the reading.
💾 Where Your Data Goes
Nothing leaves your device. All results, personal bests, and test history are saved only in your browser's local storage. No accounts, no servers, no tracking. You can view, export, or delete your data any time from the Settings panel.
📱 Supported Devices
Works on any device with a modern browser — desktop, laptop, tablet, or phone. Chrome and Edge give the most accurate readings because they process animation frames with the lowest overhead. Mobile phones with 90Hz, 120Hz, or 144Hz screens are detected correctly as long as battery saver mode is turned off.
🚀 Running the Test
1
Pick a sample duration — the default 3 seconds works well for almost everyone. Use 5 or 10 seconds if you want extra precision, or if you are testing a very high Hz monitor like 360Hz.
2
Click Start Test — the zone switches to the "Wait… Checking" screen. You do not need to click or interact during the test. Just leave the tab open and in focus.
3
Keep this tab in front — if you switch to another app or tab, the browser throttles animation frames. Always keep this page as the active foreground tab while the test runs.
4
Read your result — when the timer finishes, you see your Hz reading, tier badge, stats bar, and the animated per-second breakdown chart. The UFO comparison rows appear below.
5
Run it again — click Reset and run two or three times. If all readings are within 1–2 Hz of each other, that is your stable screen speed. Bigger swings usually mean a background task is interfering.
💡 For the best accuracy: plug in your charger, close video streams or downloads in other tabs, and use Chrome or Edge with hardware acceleration turned on.
📊 Understanding the Stats Bar
Avg Hz — total frames divided by exact test duration. This is your most reliable Hz figure and matches what your screen is genuinely running at.
Frame Interval — 1000 ÷ Avg Hz, in milliseconds. This is how long each frame stays on screen. Lower is better. At 60Hz it is 16.7ms; at 144Hz it is 6.9ms.
Peak Hz — the fastest single-frame delivery measured during the test, based on the shortest gap between two consecutive frames. Can be higher than Avg Hz if one frame arrived unusually quickly.
Total Frames — the raw count of animation callbacks received during the test window. At 144Hz over 3 seconds you should see around 432 frames.
Stability — how consistent the frame timing was throughout the test. Near 100% means frames arrived at perfectly even intervals. A lower score means uneven delivery, which causes micro-stutter even if Avg Hz looks fine.
📈 Reading the Per-Second Graph
The animated bar chart shows the Hz recorded in each individual second of the test. All bars the same height means rock-solid, consistent delivery. A dip in one bar usually means a brief background task grabbed CPU time. The dashed white line marks the overall average — bars above it were fast seconds, bars below it were slow ones.
Purple bar — the best second in the test
Orange bar — a second that dropped more than 7% below average
Tier colour — all other seconds, coloured by your result tier
🏅 Hz Tier Badges
Badge
Hz Range
What It Means
🐢 Very Low
Below 30
Unusually slow — check settings
📺 Low
30–54
Older display or capped by cable
✅ Standard
55–74
Normal 60Hz panel
🚀 Above Avg
75–119
75Hz or upgraded 60Hz display
⚡ Smooth
120–143
120Hz — noticeably fluid
🎯 Gaming
144–164
144Hz competitive standard
💫 High-End
165–239
165Hz premium gaming
🌟 Esports
240+
240Hz+ professional level
🛸 What the UFO Rows Show
Five UFOs move across the screen at the exact same pixel-per-second speed. The only difference is how often each one gets a new position update — 30 times per second, 60, 120, 144, or 240. Because all UFOs move the same distance, the ones that update less often appear to jump in bigger steps, which looks choppy.
🔍 How to Use It on Your Screen
Find the row that looks the smoothest — that is roughly your screen's refresh rate.
On a 60Hz screen, the 60Hz row looks smooth; 30Hz looks choppy; 120Hz, 144Hz, and 240Hz rows look identical to 60Hz because the screen cannot display the extra updates.
On a 144Hz screen, rows below 144Hz look progressively choppier. The 144Hz and 240Hz rows should look the same, confirming your screen tops out around 144Hz.
On a 240Hz screen, all rows below 240Hz look less smooth in turn, and the 240Hz row is the only one that glides perfectly.
💡 If all five rows look identical to you, your screen is likely running at 60Hz or lower. The rows above your screen's Hz cannot look smoother — your display simply cannot show those extra frames.
📊 Frame Interval Reference
Hz
Frame Interval
Visual Feel
30 Hz
33.3 ms
Noticeably choppy
60 Hz
16.7 ms
Standard smooth
120 Hz
8.3 ms
Clearly fluid
144 Hz
6.9 ms
Gaming smooth
165 Hz
6.1 ms
High-end gaming
240 Hz
4.2 ms
Esports level
360 Hz
2.8 ms
Pro competitive
🎮 Which Hz to Target by Game Type
First-person shooters (CS2, Valorant, Apex) — 144Hz minimum for ranked play; 240Hz gives a measurable edge in fast close-range tracking. Every extra Hz reduces the time between your action and what you see.
Battle Royale (Fortnite, PUBG, Warzone) — 144Hz makes scanning and tracking targets significantly easier. 240Hz is useful at higher skill levels.
MOBA and strategy (LoL, Dota 2, StarCraft) — 60Hz is playable; 144Hz makes clicking faster and more precise. Raw Hz matters less than in FPS.
RPG and single-player — 60Hz is perfectly fine. Higher Hz adds smoothness but gives no competitive benefit.
Rhythm games — 144Hz or higher helps with timing precision, especially in high-speed patterns.
⚠️ Hz Only Helps If Your FPS Matches
A 144Hz screen only feels like 144Hz if your game is actually running at 144 frames per second or above. If your GPU can only reach 80 FPS, you are getting 80Hz worth of smoothness even on a 240Hz monitor. Check your in-game FPS counter and lower graphical settings until your frame rate comfortably exceeds your monitor's Hz.
🏆 Competitive Hz Targets
Player Level
Recommended Hz
Casual / console player
60–75 Hz
Everyday PC gamer
120–144 Hz
Competitive ranked
144–240 Hz
Semi-pro / professional
240–360 Hz
🔧 How to Enable Your Monitor's Full Hz
1
Windows: Right-click the Desktop → Display Settings → Advanced Display Settings → click your monitor → open Display Adapter Properties → Monitor tab → Screen Refresh Rate dropdown. Select the highest option available.
2
macOS: Apple menu → System Settings → Displays → select your display → click the Refresh Rate dropdown. Hold Option to see all available rates if only some are shown.
3
Check your cable: HDMI 1.4 is limited to 60Hz at 1080p. For 144Hz at 1080p or 1440p, use DisplayPort 1.2 or higher, or HDMI 2.0. For 4K at 144Hz, you need DisplayPort 1.4 or HDMI 2.1.
4
Plug in your charger: Windows and macOS both reduce refresh rates when running on battery to save power. Plugging in often immediately unlocks the full Hz.
5
Enable browser hardware acceleration: In Chrome go to Settings → System → turn on "Use hardware acceleration when available". In Edge the setting is in Settings → System. Restart the browser after changing this.
📡 Cable and Hz Compatibility Table
Cable
Max Hz at 1080p
Max Hz at 1440p
Max Hz at 4K
HDMI 1.4
120 Hz
75 Hz
30 Hz
HDMI 2.0
240 Hz
144 Hz
60 Hz
HDMI 2.1
480 Hz
360 Hz
144 Hz
DisplayPort 1.2
240 Hz
165 Hz
60 Hz
DisplayPort 1.4
360 Hz
240 Hz
120 Hz
📌 Quick Answers
The test shows 59Hz on my 60Hz screen — is that wrong? — No, it is normal. Frame timing has tiny rounding differences; anything between 58–62 on a 60Hz panel is correct.
Can I use this without signing up? — Yes. No account needed. All data stays in your browser.
Does VSync affect the reading? — No. The animation frame callback fires at the screen's own refresh rate regardless of VSync.
Why does my result vary between runs? — Usually a background process briefly took CPU or GPU time. Close other apps and run again.
What is Stability % ? — How even the gaps between frames were. 98–100% is perfect; below 90% means some frames arrived unevenly, which can cause micro-stutter.
Is 3 seconds long enough? — Yes for most monitors. At 144Hz, 3 seconds = 432 frames. At 240Hz it is 720 frames — more than enough for a stable average.
My laptop shows 60Hz but it has a 120Hz screen. — Check Windows display settings or macOS Displays — it is almost certainly set to 60Hz in software. Also check that hardware acceleration is on in the browser.
Can I share my result? — Yes — just mention the Hz number, your sample duration, and your monitor model. The CSV export also gives a timestamped log you can share.